Arrr! The ground be shakin' like a ship in a storm! Jersey be rockin' like a rowdy crew!
2024-04-05
Arrr mateys! A wee tremor did shake up the lands of New York and Jersey on a fine mornin'. The scallywags on social media even claimed to feel the rumble in distant lands like Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Aye, 'twas a shiverin' good time for all!
Avast ye, East Coast swabbies! The earth did shake and shimmy like a drunken sailor on Friday mornin' as a measly earthquake struck New Jersey and gave a good scare to the landlubbers 'round those parts, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.The scallywag of an earthquake measured at least 4.8 magnitude and hit near Lebanon, New Jersey, at 10:23 a.m., 'bout 45 leagues west of New York City and 50 leagues north of Philadelphia, so they say. Aye, they reckon that more than 42 million folks may have felt the earth move beneath their feet."Arrr, our region just had itself a quake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.7, with the epicenter near Readington in Hunterdon County," bellowed New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. "We've activated our State Emergency Operations Center. Don't be ringin' 911 unless ye have a true emergency, ye scallywags!"A measly aftershock of 2.0 magnitude struck about five leagues west of Bedminster, N.J., at 11:20 a.m., USGS officials revealed."A 4.8 magnitude quake hit New Jersey and even rattled parts of Pennsylvania," Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro squawked. "My crew and @PEMAHQ be keepin' a sharp eye on the situation and be talkin' with the counties on any damages. We'll be keepin' the good folks of Pennsylvania in the know."New York Gov. Kathy Hochul spoke up as well, sayin' her crew will be spreadin' word throughout the day. She even felt the earth move in Albany, the state capital, she admitted."This be one of the biggest quakes on the East Coast in a century. So I ordered me emergency management crew to start assessin' the damages straight away," Hochul declared.Many a scallywag on social media piped up about feelin' the ground shake in Manhattan and beyond. Some even claimed to sense the tremors in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and as far north as Vermont and New Hampshire.One lass from Norwalk, Connecticut, Lara Walsh, said her shelves rattled and her house shook like a ship in a storm. "Me paddle tennis team chat went wild when we all heard it and agreed it was definitely an earthquake," Walsh told Fox News Digital."I thought me furnace was blowin' up, 'twas a mighty loud sound. Some thought 'twas a bird above," Walsh added.Mark Block, a bloke from Trumbull, Conn., felt the quake "damn strongly" in his neck of the woods. "At first, 'twas like the rumble of our furnace, then came the clink of glasses and the shake of pictures. Never experienced anythin' like it in 63 years 'ere," Block recounted.Another denizen of New Jersey, David Hofreiter from Whitehouse Station, claimed his whole abode shook like a drunken sailor for 'bout 30 seconds."The wall-mounted tellies shook like a ship's riggin' in a squall, and pictures were tossed about. Some items were knocked off their perches," Hofreiter shared. "All the neighbors came out to gab 'bout what had occurred. No harm to our home or gear, but 'twas a fright."The Fire Department of New York found no initial damage reports. The emergency services of New York City sent a message to residents via their cell phones on Friday mornin'.Flights at Newark and John F. Kennedy International airports were paused but now be back on course. The Holland Tunnel that links New York and New Jersey was closed briefly for inspection but be open now, as per the authorities."Check on yer loved ones, me hearties, and if ye feel another shake, drop to the deck, cover yer noggin and neck, and take cover under somethin' sturdy, like a piece of furniture or a doorway," Mayor Adams advised in a dispatch."No major life-threatening issues reported so far, no major damage to the infrastructure as o' now, but we'll be keepin' an eye on the core parts," the mayor assured.The mayor urged the good citizens of New York to go 'bout their business as usual. Schools and afterschool programs would carry on as planned, the officials confirmed.New York Buildings Commissioner Jimmy Otto passed the word for construction pros to inspect the city's 1.1 million buildings and report any "troublesome" findings to his department."Ye need to check on yer buildings, even if they be closed," Otto urged. "This be the time to follow the wise ol' adage, if ye see somethin', say somethin'."Friday's quake was the strongest to hit New Jersey in over a century, according to Josh Dozor, a former Deputy Assistant Administrator of FEMA."Quakes be rarer on the East Coast compared to the West Coast, due to the geology o' the land," Dozor revealed. The East Coast sits in the middle of a tectonic plate, unlike the West Coast, which lies on a tectonic boundary, thus seein' more quakes."So this 4.8 quake that shook the Northeast this mornin' be a rare sight. While we've seen minor shakes in the East Coast afore, this 4.8 magnitude quake be the strongest in New Jersey in near 250 years," Dozor explained."Even though quakes be uncommon in these parts, 'tis vital that folks and businesses be prepared, for these natural disasters can strike at any moment. If ye feel a quake, drop, cover, and hold on, and steer clear of heavy furniture," Dozor concluded.The Associated Press lent a hand in piecin' together this tale.